Now in the spirit of the holiday weekend, the wise-apples in the Grading The Week offices swear they’re asking this question with no malice, no agenda, no anger, no animosity, no bias, no enmity, no predilection:
Could Tad Boyle wind up producing more first-round draft picks out of CU in the next 10 months than Deion Sanders?
You … haters! You … Prime bashers! Why I oughta …
Hang on, hang on. Hear us out. Team GTW only wanted to float this premise, which seemed silly even to us as recently as last Thanksgiving, not to get Buffs Nation raging — we’ll have plenty of time for that — but to salute one of Ralphie’s own.
Because while the Nuggets and Avalanche were busy tossing cold water all over the start of the metro’s summer, KJ Simpson was off in Chicago having one holy heck of an NBA draft combine. At least according to outside accounts.
“Simpson …plays bigger than his size,” NBA.com wrote of the former CU point guard’s showing in Chicago earlier this month. “The 6-footer averaged 13.5 points through two games, showcasing his knack for finishing above bigger defenders and rebounded capably.”
CBSSports.com’s Kyle Boone is on the bandwagon, too: “KJ Simpson was the most breezy force of nature in the city, blowing past defender after defender in a masterclass performance from the opening scrimmage of the first 5-on-5 action. … Simpson turned in 16 points, grabbed three boards and turned in a number of dazzling finishes at the basket in electric fashion, stealing the show to kick off what turned out to be an eventful afternoon from Wintrust Arena.
“Simpson’s showing was a great stock-up moment for the 6-foot guard, who was a standout during athletic testing, too. He could find his way in the back end of the first round when it comes time for my next mock draft.”
See? Told ya there was a good reason why we were asking the Tad-vs.-Deion question. Because two of Simpson’s former Buffs teammates appear locked into the first round of next month’s draft already.
KJ Simpson at the NBA combine — A
If we were the betting sort, the GTW crew would wager that cornerback/wideout Travis Hunter and quarterback Shedeur Sanders, barring catastrophic injuries or general weirdness, should be top-10 picks, at the worst, in the 2025 NFL draft next April.
As for the rest of the first round and the football Buffs, we’ll see. But have you looked at some of the 2024 NBA Draft mocks lately? CU gold and black, everywhere you look.
The aforementioned Boone’s projected draft back in March had former Buff wing Cody Williams off the board at No. 7 to San Antonio, via a trade from Toronto. The Ringer’s mock a few weeks back had Williams going to the Spurs again, this time at No. 8. The site then slotted ex-Buffs forward Tristan da Silva to Philadelphia at pick No. 16, citing the forward’s height (6-foot-8), wingspan (6-10 and change), shooting range, positional versatility, IQ and defense.
And checking in at No. 41, early in the second round, on The Ringer’s mock, which was last updated before the combine: Simpson, also to Philly. The site pointed out the traits that made the Californian a part of CU hoops lore with his heroics this past winter: “Clutch Gene,” “Movement Shooter,” “Crafty Finisher,” “Off-Ball Mover.”
Tankathon.com’s mock draft, which was updated on Thursday, pegged Williams to be taken at No. 11 by the Bulls, da Silva to go at No. 18 to the Magic and for Simpson to be taken at No. 37 by the Timberwolves.
Despite questions about his size (6-foot-ish), if the raves over that combine performance are any harbinger of what’s to come, the CU point guard isn’t done climbing. And Boyle’s reputation for sending NBA-ready players to the pros isn’t fading anytime soon.